Golf club



W. F. REACH May 2, 1933.

GOLF CLUB Filed July 6. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l l l lll/lill!! lll/lll.

A venan Wllz'am Reach,

W. F. REACH GOLF CLUB Filed July 6, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l l l l 'Iliff/lll!!! In uen'or.-

Y William Ifleaciz, /5

'Patented May 1933 v UNITED STA 'rssv PATENT OFI-'Ica WILLIAM F. BEACH, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 A. G. SPALDING & BROS., OF NEW YORK, Y., A CORPORATION -OF NEW JERSEY GOLF CLUB Application led July 6,

The invention concerns golf clubs of the type having metal hosels and metal shafts, and involves the method of making and the article produced.

Heretofore, so far as I am aware, it has been customary, in such clubs, in practice to secure the shaft to the hosel by riveting. This has proved objectionable for several reasons. First, that it makes the club too rigid as the tubular steel shaft lacks the torsional effect which takes place in the wood shaft under the force of thg blow; and second, it requires the annealing of the shaft to enable the drilling of the rivet hole, and the weakening of the parts by the presence of such holes, besides the trouble and expense of the riveting operation.

The present invention aims to avoid these objections and to provide a club of this character having a metal handle secured to the metal hosel by means which, while holding the club head permanently to the shaft, will yet permit the desired torsional cushioning effect.

To this end the invention comprises the novel construction hereinafter described and defined by the appended claims.

In order that the invention may be better understood, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which v Figure 1 is a view showing the club head and shaft, partly broken away, before assembly. l

Fig. 2 is a view of the same assembled and partly in section, but before the end of the hosel iscontracted.

. Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2 with the hosel contracted or reduced to exert its compressive force upon the sleeve.

Fig. 4 is a view of a form in which the hosel is compressed or contracted at its upper end, and the distortable sleeve is shorter than the hosel so that the upper contracted end of the latter contacts with the metal shaft.

Fig. 5 is aview of a modified form, and

1928. Serial No. 290,823.

like in Fig. 2 the parts are shown assembled but before the upper end of the hosel is deformed or compressed onto the rubber sleeve. Fig. 6 is a view of another form of the invention in which the hosel is formed with a main part and a removable section adapted when in place to exert pressure upon the distortable sleeve.

Referring by reference characters to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the club head which is intended to be representative ofany type, such as mid-iron, mashie, etc., metal club head of the driver type now corning into use, or any head having a metal hosel. 2 designates the tubular steel shaft of customaryform.

The bore of the hosel la is made suiciently .larger in internal diameter to provide a space between it and the shaft when the latter is inserted, which space is designed to receive a sleeve 3 of distortable material. Preferably the shaft end and bore are made cylindrical, the latter being of larger diameter as stated, but this cylindrical feature is not material as they might be made with a slight taper without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Prior to the insertion of the shaft end in the bore of the hosel a sleeve of distortable material is placed on the shaft end as shown in Fig. 1.

The material I prefer to use for the sleeve is rubber which may be vulcanized on the shaft, or secured thereto by a suitable cement, whereby it is caused to adhere to the shaft, whereafter the end of the latter is inserted in the bore of the hosel, which is -of such a size as to enable the shaft end and sleeve to be inserted therein with a driving fit.

After the shaft with the sleeve of distortable material is fitted into the hosel, the upper thinned or tapered end of the hosel 'is subjected to pressure and is thereby caused to contract from the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to that shown in Fig. 3. This makes the bore of the hosel at its upper or outlet end of smaller diameter than the diameter of the bore at points intermediate its ends. By comparing Figs. 2 and 3, this reduction of the bore at its outlet end may be appreciated. The reduction in internal -diameter is gradual, from said point B, to the upper end A of the hosel, see Fig. 2.

This contracting of the upper end of the hosel may be accomplished in various Ways, as by means of dies, or by rolling, not necessary to be specifically disclosed herein.

The contracting of the upper end of the metallic hosel upon the distortable material effects the permanent attachment of the head and shaft firmly together, while at the same time the interposed distortable material will provide the desired torsional cushioning effect.

In the use of rubber, for example, which is not compressible but is distort-able, the effect of the compressive force resulting from the contraction or reducing of the upper end of the metallic hosel is to distort the said rubber sleeve in the sense that it will flow or extrude from the end of the hosel, and this projecting portion will be cut off in completing the article.

The tendency of the distortable material to flow is present throughout the mass composing the wall of the sleeve and hence there is a tendency for the rubber also to flow, or expand, as it were, into the nonscontracted part of the hosel and accommodate itself to any accidental irregularities of the bore of the hosel.

Pressure exerted on that portion of the rubber sleeve near the upper or outlet end of the hosel is communicated to all parts of the mass of rubber, which, if it, as intended, initially completely fills the bore of the hosel, will result in a firm pressure contact of the rubber with all portions of the Wall defining the bore of the hosel, and hence a. substantially equal gripping effect throughout the entire length of the sleeve will result.

In Fig. 4 the rubber sleeve is fixed to the metallic shaft by cement or vulcanization and then the end of this shaft with the sleeve affixed thereto is forced into the metallic hosel with a driving fit, so as to firmly grip the wall of the bore of said hosel. The sleeve in this instance is somewhat shorter than the bore of the hosel, so that the end of the hosel extends along the shaft beyond the end of the sleeve. In this case, the tapered upper end of the hosel is pressed by rolling or by a die action inwardly, so as to contact with the shaft at a point above but adjacent the end of the rubber sleeve. This will lock the head onto the shaft, and resist any tendency for the head and shaft to be relatively displaced in a direction lengthwise of the club.

For obtaining the proper degree of torque, reliance is had in this form upon the initial frictional grip of the rubber sleeve upon the interior Wall of the hosel.

IVhile the two forms above described have a feature in common, in that the upper externally tapered end of the hosel is reduced or contracted after the shaft with the rubber sleeve is inserted therein, there is a material difference between these forms in that inthe form first described the distortable material is subjected to pressure, after being placed, due to the contraction of the upper end of the hosel upon the upper portion of said material, causing it to flow, so to speak, or to transmit the compressive force so that the material of the sleeve Will fill all parts of the hosel bore or cavity, and will firmly grip the Wall of the hosel as a result of the tendency of the material to distort throughout its mass, due to said compressive force eX- erted at its upper portion.

It will be noted that in both forms of the invention the hosel at its upper end is thinned by tapering it externally upwardly. This construction lends itself to the ready contraction of said upper end of the hosel about the shaft.

In Figs. l to 3 the diameter of the small or lower end of the shaft is say .355. The taper is .092 per foot. The hosel is reamed With a straight reamer to make a cylindrical bore. The rubber sleeve is cylindrical exteriorly to fit this bore. The upper tapered end of the hosel from A to B is the portion which is compressed onto the rubber by the rolling or die action.

Instead of having the parts of the above formation they may be as shown in Fig. 5 which shows the parts assembled but before the upper end of the hosel is deformed or compressed to exert pressure upon the sleeve and reduce the outlet opening of the hosel.

In this form the shaft tapers as before towards its lower end .092 per foot and terminates with a diameter of .355. The rubber sleeve 3a, however, tapers to correspond i. e. .092 per foot, and the bore of the hosel is reamed with a taper reamer so that it tapers towards the lower end in conformity with the taper of the rubber sleeve and shaft. After these parts are assembled with a driving fit into the hosel the upper tapered end of the hosel is compressed or deformed from A to B so as to exert pressure 011 the rubber sleeve, with substantially the same effect as in the form first described. Any rubber which extrudes from the outlet opening of the hosel may be cut off.

In this form like in that first described, the rubber sleeve may be vulcanized or cemented to the shaft.

In Fig. 6 I show a form of connection in which the shaft has attached thereto a rubber sleeve 3b which in molding is tapered from its middle portion towards each end. The main part 1b of the hosel has its bore tapered downwardly and receives the lower tapered end of the rubber sleeve. The upper end of the hosel section 1 receives an extension or ferrule portion 1c externally tapered upwardly and having a bore tapered upwardly to receive the upward taper of the upper end of the sleeve. This ferrule may be attached to the main part of the hosel, of which it forms an extension, in different ways one of which may be by having the lower end of the ferrule reduced in diameter and screw threaded to fit into a socket of the hosel, which socket is screw threaded to correspond. This construction is shown at 4. This ferrule exerts pressure on and distorts the rubber sleeve and aids in effecting strong frictional engagement of the rubber with the hosel as thus completed.

In this form of the invention the part 1b and the ferrule portion 1c make up the complete hosel.

I claim:

1. The herein described method consisting in affixing a sleeve of shock absorbing material to a metal shaft, inserting said shaft with its affixed sleeve into the bore of a metallic hosel with a driving fit, and then compressing the upper end portion of the hosel to contractv the upper part of the bore thereof for retaining the sleeve therein, substantially as described.

Q. The method according to claim 1 and in which the shock absorbing material is distortable and the compression of-the upper part of the hosel takes place upon said distortable material of the sleeve, substantially as described.

3. The method according to claim 1 and in which the shock absorbing material is distortable, initially fills the bore of the hosel and is extruded at the outlet end of the hosel when the latter is compressed onto the said material, the tendency of said distortable material to iow under pressure, within the bore, securing a friction tight engagement of said sleeve with the wall of the bore, substantially as described.

4. The hereindescribed method consisting in aiiixing a sleeve of shock absorbing material to a shaft, inserting said shaft with its aflixed sleeve into the bore of a metallic hosel member and then confining the upper end of the sleeve under pressure within said member, substantially as described.

5. In a golf club and in combination, a head having a metallic hosel, a metal shaft, a sleeve of distortable resilient material mterposed between the metallic hosel and shaft, the bore of said hosel being tapered upwardly from an intermediate point distant from its upper end to said end and exerting pressure upon said sleeve, at said tapered portion substantially as described.

6. In a golfclub and in combination, a head having a metallic hosel, a metal shaft,

a sleeve of distortable resilient material interposed between the metallic hosel and shaft, the upper part of said hosel being compressed to progressively greater degrees beginning at a point distant from said upper end, and terminating at said upper end, whereby the wall of the resultant upwardly tapered 'bore will press upon the sleeve and retain the same in place.

7. In a golf club and in combination, a head having a metallic hosel in one piece throughout and into which the shaft must be inserted from the upper end thereof, a shaft, and a sleeve of distortable resilient material between the shaft and hosel forming the sole torsionally resilient connection therebetween, said hosel at its upper end having its bore reduced substantially as described.

8. A golf club of three elements: a metal shaft, a head having a metal hosel, and a sleeve of torsionally distortable but self restorable material interposed between the shaft and hosel, the bore of the hosel at its upper end being of less diameter than the diameter of the sleeve at a lower portion' thereof to confine said sleeve, said distortable material forming a connection between the shaft and hosel.

9. A golf club comprising a metal shaft,.

a head having a metal hosel in one piece the bore of which is of less diameter at its upper end than at points below said end, a sleeve of resilient distortable material within the hosel, said sleeve being under pressure and accommodating itself in shape to the different diameters of the hosel bore and forming the sole drivingl connection between the shaft and the hosel capable of circumferential distortion and restorability, substantially as described.

10. A golf club composed of a head with a metal hosel, a metal shaft, and a sleeve of resilient distortable shock absorbing material positively affixed to said shaft and lying in said hosel under pressure of a driving fit degree, the wall of said hosel at its upper portion being compressed radially inward to confine the sleeve, substantially as described.

11. In a golf club and in combination, a head having a metal hosel, a shaft, a sleeve of resilient distortable material between the hosel and the shaft, said hosel being compressed at its upper end upon the interposed sleeve, thereby reducing the diameter of the bore of the hosel at said upper end relative to the diameter of the bore at other points and exerting pressure upon said sleeve, said sleeve forming the sole torsionally resilient connection between the hosel and shaft.

12. A golf club according to claim 11 in which the interposed sleeve is positively affixed tothe shaft and is connected to the hosel by frictional contact.

13. A golf club according to claim 10 in which said metal hosel is in one piece throughout.

14. A golf club according to claim 11 in which said metal hosel is in one piece from 5 end t0 end, said sleeve being of rubber.

15. A golf club according to claim in Which said metal hosel is tapered externally upwardl7 to reduce the thickness of said upper portlon.

10 In testimony whereof, I ax my signature.

WILLIAM F. REACH. 

